THE MEDITERRANEAN PENINSULAS. 



Greographically, and to some extent climatically, the 

 three peninsulas of the Mediterranean Sea, the Iherian, 

 It^an, and the Balkan, are situated alike. Their people, 

 if not in race, are in temper and characteristics, and in 

 their political economy more or less alike. They repre- 

 sent the oldest civilization in Europe, and in their long 

 history have been frequently in collision with each other. 

 Their forests, through centuries of abuse, are wherever 

 accessible, in poorest condition. Long-continued po- 

 litical disturbances, which have prevented peaceful de- 

 velopment, and poverty, have been the greatest hin- 

 drances to economical reforms which, like the recuper- 

 ation of forests, require sacrifices. .Ancient rights of 

 user, and the necessity of politicians to respect them are 

 also responsible for the fact that, while praiseworthy at- 

 tempts in legislation have been made, execution has been 

 usually lagging behind. 



The accessibility to sea, readily permitting importa- 

 tion, the temperate climate, the simple life and abstemi- 

 ousness of the people, and the lack of industrial develop- 

 ment have made the deficiency of wood material less 

 felt than it would otherwise be, but the detrimental in- 

 fluence of forest destruction is being repeatedly ex- 

 perienced in floods and drouths. 



While Italy is now a united country, and only two 

 peoples, Spain and Portugal, occupy the Iberian penin- 

 sula, the Balkan peninsula is occupied by eight separate 

 peoples, if we include all the country south of the 

 Danube Elver and Ea.-t of the Carpathian Mountains. 



